The "Historic Local Sports News: Part II - Play Ball With The Red Roses" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Talking to my brother, Steve, who just called me from "The Green Dragon" which is an antique mart, farmer's market and livestock/everything else auction.  He was returning my call asking if he wanted to head to "Woody's" for a crabcake sandwich and a bowl of crab bisque.  "Nah, I'm too busy waiting for a box or two of "stuff" I want to bid on," he told me.  He is what you would call an honest to goodness "picker".  Loves to go to local auction houses and buy "stuff" that he puts on eBay and sells for double the price he paid for them.  

Front of the 1943 baseball program for
the Lancaster Red Roses.

Over the years I have written about items he has given to me, since he thought I might enjoy them.  He also loves to go online and bid for items.  One of his favorite sites is auctionzip.com.  He told me to go on the site and see if I could get the 1943 Red Roses season program that was currently up for bid.  Knew I would love to have something like it, since I often went to see the Red Roses which played at Stumpf Field which was a few blocks from our childhood home.  I am five years older than Steve and very seldom took him along when I went to see a game.  I did place a few bids on the program, but gave up when it became more expensive than I wanted to spend.  Just one more thing that my kids would probably toss when I die.  

Rear of the program.

Neat program that was signed by third baseman George Kell who ended up playing major league ball for ten years and earn a spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  The 1943 program featured player photos, biographies of each player and several autographs.  Another autograph was from future major league shortstop Billy Demars who after retiring from playing became a coach for almost twenty years.  For those of you who may be Philadelphia Phillies fans such as me, you may remember him as a coach on the 1980 World Champion Phils.  The auction website showed a few of the interior pages as well as the rear of the program which featured an advertisement from RCA Victor Division of Radio Corporation of America which was located in Lancaster.  On the bottom of the ad it read: "It's Great to WORK FOR U.S.A. AT RCA.  Well, I did have fun watching the bidding and bid as high as $10.00, but gave up watching and have no idea how much the program sold for.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

A few more photos showing interior pages of the program.  I found this spread interesting since it featured an advertisement for Hamilton Watch Company which is also located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.